MIDDLETON — When his son first started living on the street last year, Richard Penney offered him one piece of advice about the cold winter nights.

“I told him, 'Don't go to sleep,' ” Penney remembered last month, leaning to one side as he spoke on the corner of his nursing home bed.

It had been a difficult year for Penney and his son, who is also named Richard, but also goes by his middle name, Jason. The family's home on Karen Road was lost to foreclosure in early 2012. Richard Penney was hospitalized at the time, and he says his son was left with few housing options.

Neighbors tried to help. A family who lived across the street allowed Jason to stay at their property for about four months after the foreclosure. Another elderly couple on Lake Shore Drive took him in when the weather turned cold again in October.

But by January, Jason was living outdoors again, and his weight had dropped by about 15 pounds. He was frustrated, hungry, and “very, very tired,” his father said.

On Jan. 31, the town of Middleton came to a standstill when Jason allegedly took a woman hostage inside her home on the edge of Sunrise Lake. Police say he held her at gunpoint, after stealing a semi-automatic rifle and ammunition from his brother earlier in the day.

Dozens of police officers and a State Police SWAT team rushed to the woman's aid, eventually convincing Jason to free her and give himself up without incident.

By his father's account, it was an unexpected turn for the 36-year-old, a man who had been helping to care for his father for years. Legally blind, and beset by a series of car accidents, Penney relied on his son's help — especially in the years after 2004, when his wife passed away.

Middleton police say Jason Penney had no criminal record before the incident. He had never been arrested by Middleton police, and the only incidents on his record were minor motor vehicle charges in 1996, 2006 and 2011.

Richard Penney says he struggles to comprehend what motivated his son's alleged actions during the standoff — an event that police say had the potential for “extreme violence.” He commends Middleton police for the restraint they showed that day, and for helping to end the crisis peacefully.

And while he says there is no justification for what took place, Penney points out that life had been tough for his son in the months before he allegedly snapped. He'd been living outdoors for two weeks straight, his father says, traveling back and forth to Farmington on foot to visit his father in the nursing home. Richard Penney says he tried to help his son in the ways he could, but there was little left he could offer.

“We've all seen some pretty ugly stuff,” Richard Penney said. “We've all seen some things that just shouldn't be. I shouldn't have lost that house.”

Family history

Richard Penney and his family came to Middleton from Massachusetts when Jason was about 5 in search of more affordable housing.

Penney recalls that his son's favorite hobby growing up was target shooting, a sport he participated in with his father.

“He's very easygoing,” Richard Penney said. “Very personable.”

After he was grown, Jason stayed at home and helped his father get around. He also worked for a time at Flextronics in Rochester, the company where his mother was previously employed.

Richard Penney says you'd have to ask his son why he allegedly chose a home on Lake Shore Drive to take refuge in after stealing guns from his brother on Jan. 31.

The Penneys were familiar with the couple who previously owned the home, Richard says, and from 2006-2009, Jason also helped out around their home.

Jason didn't appear to have mental problems, his father said, and he wasn't receiving any mental health treatment before the incident.

Richard Penney believes his son also sought help from the town of Middleton's welfare office, and may have received housing assistance for a time.

Town officials have declined to comment, citing privacy restrictions.

Richard Penney says the town tried to connect Jason with a local network of social service agencies. But in the end, Jason may have been unwilling to follow the requirements of the program, his father says.

“He just never got the opportunity, based on his own actions,” Richard Penney said.

The Ryans

One of Jason's last meaningful contacts in the community was a two-month stay at the home of Louis and Florence Ryan, an elderly couple on Lake Shore Drive.

Louis Ryan said the roof on his tin shed had just been damaged when Jason came to him seeking assistance in October.

“He had nowhere to go, and it was cold, so I took him in and said, 'Look, give me a hand,'” Ryan said.

Jason helped to rebuild the roof, learning to operate a skill saw in the process, according to Louis Ryan. In return, the couple helped him out with money, clothes and cigarettes and offered him a place to stay in their daughter's bedroom.

“You'd give him money for a haircut and you'd thought he got a million dollars,” Louis Ryan remembered. “And ... I think he'd go through two packs of cigarettes a day.”

Louis Ryan also tried to land Jason a steady job. He retrieved a job application from a local Dunkin' Donuts, and spoke with the manager to set up an interview. But it never materialized.

“He never did anything with it,” Ryan said, “and I couldn't force him, you know?”

Ryan's daughter came home the week before Christmas, and there was no room for Richard left in the home.

Middleton Police Chief Randy Sobel said officers were asked to conduct a well-being check on Penney on Dec. 24, 2012. It was about 8:30 p.m., and Penney was found outdoors, staying inside a parked car.

With few options, Middleton Police Sgt. Timothy Brown escorted Penney to a homeless shelter in Portsmouth and gave him $20 to help him travel north again if he needed to.

In the end, it may have been Brown's generosity that helped to bring a peaceful end to the standoff that ensued about one month later.

Heather Ducharme, the woman who was taken hostage, recalled during a recent public ceremony that Jason appeared to calm down when he heard Brown's voice.

“You can't imagine how him knowing that Tim Brown was on the other end of the phone eased his anxiety," she said. "He felt like he had a friend. It was very important in this situation.”

It was State Police Sgt. Joseph Ebert, a trained crisis negotiator, who eventually persuaded Penney to surrender, Ducharme said.

“This man was incredibly erratic,” she remembered. “(He) was on a rollercoaster until Joe Ebert got him on the phone. My captor needed somebody to hear his pain, to hear his unreasonable demands. When Joe Ebert got on the phone, my captor felt hurt. No one was challenging his crazy accusations. His demeanor became more steady, and I was eventually released.”

How did it happen?

Even months before the standoff, Jason had been exhibiting strange behavior, according to one neighbor who spoke to Foster's on condition of anonymity. The woman, a longtime acquaintance, said he appeared to be recollecting events from his past that had never occurred.

Still, many others say they were caught by surprise when they saw Jason's face on the news after the standoff.

“He just flipped,” Florence Ryan said. “Something flipped him off.”

Asked whether his son had problems with alcohol or drugs, Richard Penney said Jason drank in moderation and had never appeared to struggle with substance abuse.

Court documents appear to paint a different picture. A court official who interviewed Jason on Feb. 1 indicated he has no high school diploma or GED. The county's corrections officials voiced “some concerns for his mental health,” according to the document. And interviewer Blair Rowlett wrote that Penney reported he had a “history with substance abuse and a recent relapse.”

Jason was also experiencing difficulties in his relationship with his brother, according to his father.

But Louis and Florence Ryan suspect the harsh conditions this winter may have taken the biggest toll on Jason. The first night after he left their home, Jason returned, appearing on the verge of tears. They found a place for him to stay for one more night, afraid to leave him out in the cold.

“My opinion would be that he snapped,” Louis Ryan said. “He couldn't take any more ... He went through hell in the cold weather.”